The stadium was in ruins. Shattered seats, cracked floors, and smoke rising from the scorched earth marked the battleground. Dust and debris floated lazily in the air, stirred only by the aftershocks of the previous clash.
From above, distant and silent, Chen Wei hovered. His eyes scanned the chaos below, the wind tugging at his clothes. Beside him, Leo's figure had transformed—completely. His wings, red and white like blazing fire and pure light intertwined, spread wide. His eyes burned with ultrastinct clarity, pupils glowing faintly with the colors of his spirit. A faint halo circled his head. Every movement radiated control, every gesture lethal precision.
Before them, Kaito Jin had also transformed. Two massive, shadowy horns curved from his head. His body had grown taller, more defined, almost skeletal in its musculature. His eyes were pure black, with streaks of crimson threading through. His aura flickered violently—demonic energy pulsing in waves so strong that even the cracked stadium trembled beneath his presence.
Chen Wei's voice carried through the air, steady but tense.
"Leo… are you ready? This isn't the same man we faced before."
Leo clenched his fists, bracelets glowing faintly as they hummed with energy.
"I've never been more ready… nor more focused."
At that moment, far away in Japan, Yuna sat in the hospital room. Her hands were clenched over the monitor's edge as she watched the battle live-streamed, her breathing shallow and rapid. Each strike, each tremor from the stadium below, made her heart tighten. She whispered softly:
"Stay alive… please, Leo…"
In the room beside her, Lily's body lay comatose, but something unusual had begun. Her Phoenix spirit hovered lightly around her, and faint light flickered in her closed eyes. Slowly, almost painfully, her eyelids twitched. One by one, they opened, revealing wet, luminous eyes that had not seen the world for months.
Her voice, weak but determined, whispered:
"Leo… my love… I… I have to protect our child…"
Leo's heart clenched, even though he was thousands of miles away in the stadium. His mind flashed: Our child… already… being born…? One year earlier than it should have been? How is this possible…?
Within her body, the Phoenix guided the early birth, controlling Lily's body and spirit to protect their child. Despite her coma, her will burned fiercely:
"Leo… you have to keep fighting. Do not falter. I trust you… even if I cannot move, even if I cannot speak. Keep our child safe… until they are born."
Her words echoed faintly through the bond they shared, as if carried on the winds of fate.
Meanwhile, below, Leo and Kaito Jin stood facing each other. The ruins of the stadium trembled with the power radiating from both warriors. Chen Wei's gaze was tense.
"This… this is beyond any tournament. Their energy… it's rewriting reality itself."
Leo's wings flared, Spirit Best Blast glowing faintly in his hands, ultrastinct aura surrounding him. Kaito Jin's demonic energy pulsed violently, absorbing blows effortlessly. Every strike from Leo made no difference on Kaito's corrupted form. Yet the fire in Leo's heart burned stronger.
"I… cannot fail," Leo thought. "Not now. Not when Lily… when our child… is depending on me."
The camera angle shifted—overhead, showing the shattered stadium, the energy fields tearing reality around them. Leo's wings glowed fully, his halo flickered with light. Kaito Jin's horns struck the air like black lightning, his aura a storm of destruction.
Somewhere beyond the universes, in a crystal floating in the void, the Multiverse Demon King watched silently. Every pulse of energy, every strike, every vibration of the fight reflected across the crystal's facets.
"Hmm… this one," he murmured, voice resonating across space, "my successor… may indeed be worthy."
Meanwhile, in the hospital room, Lily whispered to her unborn child:
"Grow strong… stay safe… even if the world tries to take you away. Leo… he will protect you. I trust him."
A soft shimmer of energy surrounded her belly. The child moved, sensing the danger outside the hospital walls. Lily's spirit, though trapped within her weakened body, radiated warmth and determination.
Leo, unaware of the full extent, felt a strange surge of power and clarity.
Something… is happening. Lily… and our child… they're okay. I can feel them… guiding me.
The stadium trembled violently again, dust cascading from the ceiling. Leo's wings spread wider, his aura blinding, his bracelets glowing with energy. Kaito Jin laughed, a sound that made reality itself seem to warp.
"You've improved… but will it be enough, Leo?"
Leo's eyes burned with ultrastinct focus.
"I will not let anyone harm them… ever. Not you, not anyone."
From above, Chen Wei's eyes narrowed, analyzing every move.
"Whatever happens… I'll make sure Leo's back is covered. But this… this is unlike anything we've ever faced."
The fight was no longer merely a tournament clash. It was survival, it was fate, it was the shaping of power across worlds. The stakes had multiplied, with lives, love, and the future of the next generation hanging in balance.
Author's Note
In this chapter, I included Lily's early childbirth, which is ahead of the normal timeline in this universe. Her Phoenix spirit guides the process, showing how strong her will and connection to Leo is, even in a coma.
Also, I know visualizing Leo and Kaito's forms, and the full impact of their energy, may be difficult. Don't worry—I'll dedicate an extra chapter later to break down all forms, their abilities, and how energy works in the universe—including other martial artists and supporting characters.
This is still only the beginning. The stakes have escalated beyond the stadium, beyond the universe, and the next chapters will explore the true consequences.